Confusion is trailing the decision of Governor of Osun State, Senator Ademola Adeleke to budget N4.3bn for reconstruction of a road currently being rehabilitated by the Federal Government.
The 8.5 kilometer Iragberi-Ikotun-Ara road was among the roads listed by the Governor last Thursday during the unveiling of N159bn infrastructural project. A sum of N4,345,992,620.00 budget for the reconstruction.
However, the road was already undergoing rehabilitation by the Federal Government, through the Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development. The ongoing rehabilitation was facilitated by the lawmaker representing Ede North/Ede South/Egbedore/Ejigbo federal constituency, Representative Bamidele Salam.”
The project, according to the signpost, reads, “Rehabilitation of Orita Idoo-Ekuro-Iwoye-Iragberi-Ikotun-Ara road in Egbedore local government area, Osun State.”
Spokesperson to the Governor, Olawale Rasheed while giving clarification on the issue, said the road billed for construction by the state government will start from Awo junction at the Iragberi end to Ikotun, Ara and Ejigbo.
Rasheed in a text message said, “the federal government through Hon. Bamidele Salami is doing a lateritic based road on a section of the road, the route for the State road start from Awo junction at the Iragberi end – Ikotun – Ara/Ejigbo road.”
In the meantime, Rasheed has cleared the air that though the projects listed by Governor Adeleke amounted to N111bn as against the N159bn announced.
He dismissed computation error or plan to siphon N48bn, stating that more projects will be executed with the funds.
“Those projects not listed include bridges, neighborhood town roads, ongoing intervention in the water sector and projects within the health sector beyond primary health care centres.
“While the major projects listed by Mr Governor is around One Hundred and Eleven Billion Naira plus, the projects listed under the general infra sector is around Forty Eighty Billion Naira.
“There is therefore no crisis of computation or any budgetary manipulation.”
